Lost and Found: Part II - Found
by LuTsei
Summary: Riley is no stranger to tragedy and loss. Having lost his parents at the age of ten and his best friends at fourteen, his grief, fear, and anger forced him to leave everything he knew. With only his loving sister Violet to guide train and him, he has reinvented himself, devoting his life to the protection of everything he and his loved ones hold dear (Part I - Lost not yet written)
1. Prologue

Riley looked up. Even from over ten miles away, he could see it just as clearly as if he were right outside its walls. His sister would be there by now. He stopped walking, looked at the ground, and paused for thought. He had spent the better part of the last three years readying himself for this. For his return. And he was ready. Of this he was certain. Still, he couldn't ignore his lingering hesitation. It was only natural, considering. He thought back mournfully to times long gone; happiness long faded; friends and family long dead. And then...

 _Him_. It rushed back all at once. Before Riley could stop it, the cruel, helpless memory played itself familiarly in his head, just as it had countless times before. His jaw was clenched so hard in grief and anger that it was starting to ache. His time away had taught him to cope, but it had done little to dull the pain. He drove the memory back into the depths of his mind and tried to calm himself. Eventually his thoughts rested fondly back on his sister. Violet. He owed her so much more than he'd ever be able to repay. He smiled.

Riley fixed his gaze once more upon his destination. His renewed conviction was somehow stronger now than ever before. He'd been away too long, and had become restless with anxiety. That single, overpowering thought that had driven him this far was now filling his mind. _I need to get back._ With his mind on the future, his heart heavy with longing, he continued walking. Back to his sister. Back to Beacon Academy. Back home.


	2. Chapter 1

It was quiet. Quiet and dark. Such was the condition of Beacon Academy's halls at this hour. In fact, Ozpin himself would have been asleep at present, except... It was only a feeling. A less experienced huntsman might have dismissed it, but Ozpin knew this feeling all too well. He'd learned long ago what it meant. It meant something was coming. Not something bad – not always, anyway. Nevertheless, it paid to be ready.

It was for this very reason that, at – he checked his watch – 2:47 in the morning, he was wandering the empty halls of his school, waiting. In his many years as a huntsman, albeit slightly less as Beacon's headmaster, he had never lacked for sleepless nights, and over the course of his tenure, he had learned to enjoy the quiet stillness that usually accompanied them. Tonight he found he was enjoying it a bit more than usual. This was mainly because of the lack of students sleeping in the dorm rooms.

Not that he didn't enjoy the presence of his students, but one of the things you learned as a huntsman was that people, even sleeping people, made noise, unless they were making a conscious effort not to. Even then, there was always some kind of sound that could be detected if you knew what to listen for, even if it was just the sound of someone trying not to make a sound, which it usually was. Among the many skills that made Ozpin one of the most widely respected huntsmen in history was his seemingly supernatural ability to hear and distinguish between every single sound around him. Tonight, however, with the students all home for the summer, there was nothing except for the faint whisper of wind and the chirping of crickets. Which made the sudden unanticipated voice seem almost to have appeared from nowhere.

"Still burning it at both ends, I see." Ozpin allowed himself to lower his guard... a bit. In the past two decades, there had been only one person, other than Qrow, to have proven capable of sneaking up on him like this. And that was definitely her voice.

"You've been gone a long time," he said, turning calmly to face her.

"Almost three years," she agreed.

"Come, Violet," he said. "Let's take a walk across the grounds."

Once they had left the building, Ozpin broke the silence. "Is your brother coming back as well?" he asked conversationally. They were walking around the hunter statue in the center of the garden. One of the many things Violet loved about Beacon was that on a clear night, a look toward the sky always promised to be a beautiful sight. And it was a very clear night. With the total absence of students on campus, the subtle din of light which invariably accompanied late-night studying was nowhere to be seen. Every star was visible. It was breathtaking.

Violet turned her attention back to the headmaster. "He's on his way," she said.

"It really has been a long time, hasn't it?" he said. "Three years ago he would have wanted to surprise me with the good news himself." There was a pause. Ozpin was leading her back around the statue toward the centerpiece of Beacon's main building complex, Beacon Tower. The namesake of the school and easily the tallest building in Vail, it rose high above the clouds and gave a stunning view of the whole of Beacon Academy and beyond. The top floor housed the headmaster's office. Violet knew at once that was where they were heading.

"He's grown up since then," she said, after a while.

Ozpin sighed. "Yes," he said. "Seeing one's closest friends die tends to have that effect on people. What worries me, however, is that more often, it tends to have quite another, far more unfortunate effect on people." They entered the tower and took the elevator to Ozpin's office. They stood facing each other in front of his desk. "Getting straight to the point," Ozpin continued, "are you certain he's ready?"

"He's spent the last three years training-"

"You know what I meant," he said, the edge of authority now in his voice. "When he left Beacon, it was because the vivid memory of his team every waking moment very nearly broke him." Violet said nothing. More kindly, he said, "Believe me, nobody at Beacon misses having him here more than I do, but," and here the edge returned, "I absolutely will not risk his mental stability. Unless you can assure me that this won't be an issue, I'm afraid I cannot allow him to return to my school."

After another pause which seemed to last longer than a minute, Violet said, "He's ready."

Ozpin appeared to consider this. "Very well," he said, reaching a conclusion. "Seeing as how I trust you as I trusted your mother and father, and since I know that you care for Riley even more deeply than I do, I will take your word for it." He noticed the subtle signs of relief in Violet's expression. "However," he said raising his voice just slightly, "if I should detect any hint of a collapse, I will be well within my rights as headmaster, and especially as your godfather, to order his immediate removal from campus."

"If that happens, I'm leaving with him," Violet said firmly.

Ozpin smiled. "I'm sure he wouldn't have it any other way," he said. They hugged. "It's wonderful to see you again, Violet." Violet, beaming back, blinked away a tear. "You look beautiful," he said. "You're the spitting image of your mother."

She laughed and said, "You should see Riley! If it weren't for the color of his eyes, I'd be calling him 'Dad' all the time."

"That would be terribly confusing," said Riley from the window. Startled, they both turned at once, Ozpin brandishing his steel walking stick. He lowered it immediately at the sight of Riley. "Thank goodness for the color of my eyes." He hopped down from the windowsill. "Hey," he said.

Ozpin couldn't believe what had just happened. Riley, a boy of only eighteen who had not yet completed a single full semester at Beacon, had completely avoided Ozpin's detection just as expertly as his prodigy of a sister had, only Riley had managed reach the top of the tower, unlock and open the window from the outside, and have been perched on the window sill at least long enough to have heard what they were talking about. And he had done so while somehow remaining even more silent than Violet had been, if that was even possible.

"Remarkable," he said. "How did you – oh, where are my manners?" He gave Riley a big hug. "It's so good to see you again, Riley," he said.

"It's good to be seen again," Riley answered. "I take it my sister told you why I'm late."

"No, actually, I hadn't gotten around to asking about that yet," Ozpin said. "I assume you both flew here."

"No," Riley said, "just Violet. I decided to walk most of the way. I only flew the last stretch." Ozpin could sense hesitation about something. After a few seconds, during which Riley closed and locked the window he'd entered from, Riley continued, "Even so, I would've gotten here sooner, but I ran into some trouble."

Ozpin and Violet looked from Riley to one another, then back to Riley. "What kind of trouble?" asked Ozpin.

"I was confronted and attacked by five suspicious people," said Riley, "only two of whom I was able to identify in any way. They were all wearing Grimm masks."

"Are you okay?" Violet asked. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," said Riley.

"White Fang?" Ozpin mused.

"No, I don't think so," said Riley. "They didn't have any obvious animal traits."

Ozpin turned this information over in his head for a while. Finally, he sat down at his desk. "Tell me," he said.


	3. Chapter 2

Roman Torchwick would have preferred to be anywhere else. He wasn't the smartest criminal ever, he knew that, but he was smart. Smart enough, at least, to know not to go straight to Beacon Academy immediately after breaking out of prison, and there was almost nothing that could've convinced him to. Cinder was scary, yes, but not that scary. Now Adam, well... Adam was that scary.

Adam had a way to him that said without saying that doing everything he told you to do, exactly when he told you to do it, was far better than the alternative. And Adam had told him to go with Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury to Beacon Academy, right after he had broken Roman out of his prison cell. When Roman asked if he could at least bring backup, Adam replied, "I've brought you all the backup you'll need," and, stepping aside, revealed the ever-silent Neo, who had been standing behind him. She gave Roman her trademark bow.

Roman smiled. "You read my mind," he said.

And he had been happy to see her, of course. After all, he was fond of the kid. The fact that she never talked was a plus, and although that perpetual knowing smile and alternately colored eyes might have seemed creepy to him at first, you got used to it after a while. There was an ineffable yet undeniable charm to her. She had style, that much was obvious. And she also appeared to have taken a liking to him as well. The fact that she was one of the best fighters he'd ever seen wasn't a bad bonus, either. He definitely felt better having her along. But he was still far from comfortable with the current situation.

They had been in the final five miles to Beacon when they spotted someone ahead, apparently headed in the same direction. They hadn't expected to encounter any obstacles, but Adam had taken the precaution of mapping a route for them with plenty of cover, should they happen to need it. Of course, he never mentioned to Roman what it was that they were going to Beacon for in the first place, but as Cinder had herself told him, he'd know what he needed to when he needed to know.

They had been following the unknown traveler for quite a while, and all they knew about him for certain was his size and that he seemed to be travelling alone. His height and the way he walked suggested that he was a man, but his appearance was hidden under a hooded robe. He didn't look like a threat, but Adam had been quite clear about what to do should they encounter anyone in their path.

Roman quietly ran over to Neo and leaned over her shoulder. "Take him out," he whispered. She nodded and started stalking the figure more closely. Roman watched her creep up right behind him, the hidden stiletto blade already protruding from the tip of her umbrella. She lined up the blade with his neck and pulled it back...

But when she went for the kill, the boy was gone. Nowhere to be seen. Then, as instantly as he had disappeared, and just as noiselessly, he reappeared behind Neo, a katana in his right hand. When the hilt made contact with her head, she flew about ten yards and landed face down. When she pushed herself up into a crouching position, the tip of the katana was less than an inch from the bridge of her nose.

He pulled back the hood to reveal a hard face that, to Neo, seemed older than its years. He had jet-black hair that hung down over his forehead and was barely long enough in the back to reach just past the base of his neck and just short enough on the sides not to be resting on his shoulders. His eyes were a deep ocean-blue. Aside from the sword in his hand, he had another one, still sheathed, on his back with the hilt over his right shoulder. The sheath on the left side of his waist was empty.

"Identify yourself," he demanded. His voice, if it weren't for the threatening tone, would have been quite pleasant.

"She doesn't talk," Roman shouted from behind him. His cane was pointed at the boy, ready to shoot him in the back.

"Of course she doesn't," he said. "I can tell she's a mute. I wasn't talking to her. I was talking to the man with the gun pointed at me."

"What?! How did you-"

"Can't say I applaud your choice of firing angle," Riley interrupted. "You try firing that thing, it's going to hit your friend in the face. And before you try cleverly maneuvering your way out of the situation, allow me to inform you that I am an unfortunate sneeze away from skewering the girl's brain and that I am perfectly aware of the presence and exact locations of three others who have just now wisely decided to hold their exact positions. If any of you tries to move even half an inch, I am more than fast enough to cut off her head before you get any further, and you know that's not a bluff. So, before I lose my patience and cut off her head anyway, identify yourself." That last part was a bluff. In truth, Riley had no intention of cutting anyone's head off, but he could if he wanted to, and they knew that. It had the desired effect.

"Roman Torchwick," said the assailant. "And my assistant's name is Neo." His voice was shaking slightly. He cared about this girl. That was good. It would make him compliant. It might even make him honest. "Before you ask, nothing you can do will make me tell you the names of the other three. I don't know for certain if you'll kill me, but if I give away that information, my employer definitely will.

Oh well. Riley supposed it would be too much to ask for his employer's name. This really wasn't an ideal interrogation scenario. "You've been following me for two hours, so I can only assume your destination is Beacon Academy."

There was a brief silence as this new piece of information was registered. "It is," said Roman Torchwick.

"Then I can't let you go any further than this." He gripped Neo under her collar and threw her at Roman's gun arm. He pulled off his robe and threw it onto the ground in one swift motion.

"Get him!" yelled Roman.

It all happened at once. At the same time that Riley drew his second sword, the three people who had been hiding all jumped out at him from different angles. Riley focused his aura. Violet would give him quite a large piece of her mind for this, he knew. But there was no choice. There were five of them. He needed to keep track of them all or he was a goner.

He activated his semblance again. His field of vision extended in all directions. He blocked the girl in green with Phoenix, his dull sword, knocking her bladed handguns several yards away. At the same time, with Wingblade, his sharp sword, he slashed the shin of the boy in gray, who had come at him with a kick. Riley needed only a brief look at the gun barrels in his boots to know how to react. Instantly after the two of them had been thus distracted, he jumped into a backward air flip to get away from the blades of the girl in black... Except they weren't blades anymore, but arrows, and speeding towards him. He blocked all five arrows with his swords, and instead of breaking, the glass arrows disintegrated into a shiny black sand. Dust, Riley told himself. But no, there was no black Dust, was there?

No time to think about that now. Green and Gray were back on their feet, and so was Neo. And she wasn't happy. She sped away from Roman and past the other three, her face livid. _She's the fast one_ , thought Riley. _Very fast_. She was, indeed, astonishingly fast. Had Riley not been focusing as hard as he was, he wouldn't have been able to keep up with her. In fact, he could feel his focus dwindling as his aura weakened. He could hide that from them easily enough, but he needed to end this.

He waited for the smallest opening... There! On the last parry, she lost control of the direction of her weapon for a fraction of a second. He seized the opportunity and swung at her stomach with Phoenix, knocking her as far as he could. Immediately the other four, surrounding him, began attacking him all at once. Riley strengthened the effect of his semblance by reducing the radius to five yards. It worked. He could see and react easily to everything the four of them did. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so alive!

He knew it wouldn't last, though. He was running on reserves he soon wouldn't have. He'd never kept his semblance going nearly this long. Every joint was beginning to ache. Concentrating, he knocked or threw each of them in the same direction he'd sent Neo flying in, acting quickly, knowing he only had seconds left before they recovered. Now was his chance to finish the fight, just before he would've lost the advantage. They were all in one place.

He rushed them, ready to finish them with a cross-slash, but Neo got in the way, her arms raised defensively. Riley's attack hit her, and her entire body shattered like glass, as did those of her four companions. They were gone. Riley was almost completely drained. Roman Torchwick. He felt like he'd heard that name before.

He sighed, walked over to his robe and picked it back up. He grinned. He'd been hoping for an excuse to wear it again. He looked toward Beacon Academy's enormous tower. It was still about four miles away. His limbs were numb. His knees buckled. They wouldn't carry him the rest of the way. _Oh, what the hell_ , he thought. _I'll fly_. With considerable effort, he took off his shirt and turned to face Beacon. He took a deep breath. Suddenly, a pair of huge brown and white eagle's wings emerged from his back, and, almost as though he were being carried by someone else, he took to the sky.


End file.
